Embers from Ashes
by chiriruoni
Summary: She desires to atone for her sins. The blood and ash of her daughters stain her hands. The summons of a desperate girl provide her with the chance. She had failed those she loved before, by her resolve she will not fail a second time. (Reboot of 'The Flame of Life')
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Finally, I get around to doing this. Way too many times I'd find this collecting 'dust' in its folder, only for me to add a paragraph or two and then put it away. So here it is, my second rebooted story. Hopefully this will be liked as well or more than the original.**

* * *

She no longer knew how long she knelt, rooted in place by her own despair. Black and violet flames danced violently around her, obscuring her sight and painfully licking every inch of her body. Thick and noxious smelling smoke and fumes choked her with each breath. The intense heat caused her skin to hiss, depriving her of the relief of sweat and drying her eyes, denying her the tears she would have shed.

At first, she had struggled with all her might. Fought as intensely as the flames that assaulted her. The screams of her daughters had once mingled with the sizzling, cracking, and popping of the corrupted flames. She had responded with her own, urging them to escape, yet none could hear over the roar of the fire.

Time and again, she continued a cycle of oblivion and consciousness, her soul resisting the corruption each time she floundered. While it no longer provided protection it once did, it kept her mind intact...mostly. She sobbed gently, since she had not the strength to muster anything else. To her chest she clenched her fists tightly, the contents she held within were a dark reminder of her sin and all that was left of what she held dear.

" _Go! Leave this place!" She screamed, hoping her daughters took heed._

 _Slowly, she crawled using only her forearms to pull herself as the pain that wracked her body only became more intense. Yet she would persevere if it meant they lived. She would not allow her mistakes to be paid by them._

" _Mother! I'm here!" A pained voice of a girl, one of her eldest daughters called out just above her._

" _YOU FOOL! I told you to go!" She grasped the young woman's leg as she pulled herself to her knees and the girl knelt to meet her mother's face._

" _Like I'd leave you to die here! What would we do with- AAUH!" The young woman's grasp of her shoulders tighten in reflexive response to the pain._

 _She felt something change within the girl. She hadn't the Soul of a Lord that she held, and the bright wisp of a flame for a soul that pulsed instead had begun to darken._

" _No...NO! You have to get out of here now!" She tried to push the girl away, only for her daughters grasp to tighten._

" _...t-too late, mother...I feel it...don't you?"_

 _Out of reflex, she placed her right hand to her daughter's chest. Indeed, she had remained far to long and the seeds of corruption took root._

" _At least...I'll be with you...mother..."_

" _NO!" She had thrown her arms around her daughter, disregarding the pain that fanned out throughout her body._

 _She felt the hand of her daughter push between them, placing her palm to her own chest._

" _I'm sorry...I love you...," she gasped her final breath before summoning forth a pillar of flame that immolated her._

 _Unharmed by the vibrant flame, her arms met no resistance as her daughter ceased to be and the flickering wisp of a soul escaped within the relative safety of her own. She knelt there, stunned. She could taste the ashes of her daughter that had started to float away in the air current. She quickly clasped her hands shut, so that she held the remaining ashes safe as she brought them to her chest in manic possessiveness. She conquered the lump in her throat, bellowing a wail of despair as blackness consumed her sight and oblivion taken her for the first time._

Dry and pained eyes shot open. She hadn't realized consciousness had left her. She greatly wished she could cry, but the accursed flames wouldn't allow for it. Sometimes she wished she had an ounce of the will needed to rip the Lord Soul from her chest. Yet, her basest desired would interrupt. No matter the pain and sorrow she felt, her very nature simply refused to let her die. So she fought with the corrupted flames this entire time, a battle she hadn't the strength to win.

She didn't even know if her other daughter's and her son had escaped. The thought sometimes brought hope that they'd have found a way to defeat the corruption and pull her from the flames. Yet time and again she concluded this was a flight of fancy. The ashes she clutched in her hands were testament to life's fragility, her sin and hubris.

Now, she simply wished for rest she felt she didn't deserve...and perhaps some closure.

* * *

Louise stood near the rear of the gaggle of students, shifting from one foot to the other, nervous to her wits end. It was the day all second year students looked forward to, or in her case dreaded. It was a relatively simple thing really, the Summon Familiar rite was only a singular spell and upon success it marked the end of your day and your prestige as a mage was solidified for your remaining time at the Academy. Never has there been a case of failure, difficulty perhaps, but never outright failure.

Louise feared she'd be the first. Especially considering her current history in casting spells. In casting a simple Light Ball spell? Explosion! Transmuting a pebble into glass? Explosion! Throw a Fireball spell? An even larger explosion...that caught nothing on fire...

She could only imagine what would happen when she cast the summoning spell. Would she summon an animal only to have it promptly pop, spraying it's insides everywhere? Would the concussion of the inevitable explosion kill whatever she summoned so that just a corpse would be found within the summoning circle? Or worse yet, would nothing happen at all as a few of her spells came out as.

It wouldn't be nearly as bad if she could do the Rite privately, at least then her shame could be limited to herself and the teacher present until they decide to expel her. In fact that was her plan, to wait out the class in hopes of having to make it up at a later date alone.

"Mr Colbert, it seems we almost forgot Louise!" The voice of her bitter rival jolted her from her thoughts, causing Louise to send a baleful glare the redhead's way.

"Ah, of course. Ms Valliere, if you would please come to the summoning circle...," the kindly professor motioned Louise to the Circle, ignorant of her fear.

She grumbled to herself as her peers elbowed each other in jest, leaned in with cruel whispers to their friends, while some actually yelled out to her.

"Oh, watch out! The Zero might blow us up," a boy near the front backed away while holding his hands in front of him mockingly.

"Nah, she'd likely just blow herself up," a girl giggled.

"Or just her familiar," the girl's partner responded

"Would it be possible to actually summon an explosion?"

"I bet nothing will happen at all."

"Ha, then she'd really live up to her name!"

With each taunt and jeer, her shoulders slumped a little lower and her confidence flagged even further.

"SILENCE! This is no way for young nobles to act! Show some respect!" The Professor slammed the butt of his staff into the wet morning grass, the resounding thump much larger than it had any right to be. Most likely amplified by magic Louise reasoned.

"Thank you, Professor...," Louise whispered sheepishly as she stepped lightly past the man towards the Circle.

"Chin up Louise, I've confidence in you," Colbert nodded as he adjusted his glasses.

Louise smiled briefly at the encouragement. He had always been the only one to show any faith in her ability even after her first failure which had actually sent him into a wall and knocked him unconscious. When he came to, he simply laughed it off and gave her remedial homework. She regretted the fact that she may have to say goodbye to him as an expelled student rather than a graduating one.

She fished out her wand, as battered and worn as it was from her failures, and took a deep breath as she began the summoning rite.

"I, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, in the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers..."

* * *

She simply lain still in the fetal position. Her eyes screwed shut, pained by the heat and unable to form tears. All she could hear was the incessant roar of the black flames. She couldn't tell just how long she spent in that inferno, having long given up on trying to keep time. It could have been merely days, perhaps weeks, months, years, centuries, or more. Over whatever span of time, she had grown accustomed to the pain, having lost her will and energy to care it simply was a numb sting on her skin.

Suddenly, a scent she recognized yet by the passage of time seemed so foreign graced her nose. So unlike the ashen burning the black flames, it was cool, wet, and fresh. With it came a gentle and fleeting breeze that was quickly snuffed out by the fire.

"W-wha-...," she turned her face towards what she believed to be the source, pushing through ash and debris as she did.

Once more she smelled it, and soon felt it as it came in periodic puffs.

"H-hah...hah," she gasped, trying to take in as much of the wondrous substance as she could before it was taken away.

With each puff of air and resulting gasp, she dragged herself along the rough glassed earth, disregarding the numerous cuts and scrapes it caused. With her right hand she clawed at the ground to find purchase to pull herself towards this mystery, while in her left she grasped tightly the remains of her precious daughter.

Opening her left eye as much she could despite the pain it caused, she seen the source she sought. A much a blur as it was, she discerned an odd green oval, edged with runes that she likened to that of the summoning signs. Yet the center of the oval rippled and churned like water and seemed to be reflective as a mirror even as it was obvious that it expelled the clean substance that her lungs hungered.

 _'Escape...escape...ESCAPE!'_

Seeing her goal just out of reach, she fervently thrashed her right arm forward, gripping the earth with what remained of her might. Gritting her teeth and bracing herself from the flames that pressed against her, she stumbled to her bare feet as desperation fueled a final push to dive through the portal to the unknown.

* * *

The massive bang and concussive force was no surprise for Louise. She was expecting at least half as much, and she only awaited the laughter and complaining of her peers at this latest failure. Picking herself up from the wet morning grass and brushing herself down, she sighed as she waited. Only what she expected never came. There was a high pitched sound resembling the tearing of fabric followed by a dull thump...and then silence.

The students seemed frozen in place, color draining from many of their faces and their eyes unblinking with unbridled fear and confusion. When Louise turned to follow her peers' gazes, what greeted her sent her stumbling back onto her buttocks and letting out a surprised yelp.

It was a dirty gray body. At first it laid still on its stomach with its face in the grass. Its right arm was outstretch while its left had been curled beneath its chest. Then it suddenly hitched a shallow breath followed by a weak cough. Louise blinked at the body, unsure what to make of it as it continued to 'try' to breath until it finally managed a hacking cough that made all those present cringe at the perceived pain that would've been involved.

Its right hand slowly grasped at the wet grass, pulling a small handful from the ground and then letting the blades slowly slip from between its fingers. Then it gently patted the ground as it reveling in the cool dew before drawing the arm over its head as if it were cradling it.

Louise looked to Professor Colbert with a panicked expression, seeking guidance. The kindly teacher simply gulped audibly and nodded towards the body. The message was clear.

Complete the contract...

She meekly crawled to her feet and with all the caution she could manage given her nervousness, carefully made her way to the body. It was clear that it was alive, but its form was obscure and its posture certainly didn't help. The closer Louise got, the more she was able to observe her summon.

Her sense of smell was at once assaulted by the pungent smell of burnt hair and flesh, which made her cringe and gag. As she edged closer and lowered herself to her knees, she only confirmed the source. The body was caked in a thick powder of ash, with the dew from the grass causing some of it to darken into a paste. The head was covered in short hair that seemed white, but was most likely simply colored that way from the ash. The torso gently heaved as it breathed deeply, sounding quite gravely and shuddering with each exhale.

Giving Colbert one final pleading look, at which he simply raised an eyebrow, Louise gently sighed and brushed aside some hair to reveal the body's forehead that was above its forearm. Fighting her hesitation, Louise completed the contract.

"My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make it my familiar."

With the chant concluded she gently kissed the forehead.

"Urk, pffpt...,"she recoiled as she tasted the ash, hastily wiping her mouth of the foul substance.

A low and muffled giggle halted her reaction, turning her disgust into annoyed frustration.

"Wh-who laughed!? It's not funny!" Louise glare darted around, finally falling on Colbert surprised and slightly amused face. With a wry smile, he simply pointed at her familiar.

When her gaze returned, she was startled by the sudden movement of the right arm. A long and tired moan rumbled from the creature as it struggled to push itself from the ground. Ash fell from its form as a fine powder and in wet chunks and flakes as it drew itself to its knees and then finally fell back onto its rear with its knees apart and feet drawn back. Its head lulled to the right side, following the now limp right arm. It seemed that the only strength it could muster went towards holding its left hand to its chest.

It was as Louise looked at the left hand that still glimmered with the freshly inscribed runes that she noticed some key features of the creature. It was decidedly feminine, if rather emaciated, and quite...large. She blushed as the bulk of the ash that looked like it was at one time cloth fell away. She could only count the dew from the grass and what looked to be dried blood as a blessing as it caused dark obscuring ash to cling to the rather sensitive and private bits of the woman.

The woman attempted to open her eyes, only to flinch with a pained expression that hinted at how excruciating the act felt. Giving up on trying to open them fully, she heaved a massive sigh and opened her left eyes only a crack, just enough to allow Louise to see the piercing pale blue-gray stare.

Professor Colbert had begun to shoo the other students away, reassuring the distraught girls and scolding the leering boys. When the field was cleared of all but Louise, the summoned, and Colbert, he returned to help Louise to her feet. The entire time, the woman simply watched intently, swapping between the panicked professor and the stunned pinkette. Her head remained tilted to the side as Colbert looked with great concentration on her left hand, having pulled out a small book and stick of graphite, jotting down heavens knows what at a feverish pace.

"I must say, Louise, you've managed to certainly impress me. Such a summoning is unique! I can definitely say that during my tenure here I've yet to have seen one such as this," he turned to Louise with a wide smile, "I believe you should be proud."

The professor nearly jump out of his skin as a hand that could encircle his neck completely with some length to spare, patted the side of his arm, leaving a smear of ash on his cloak.

"AH! Oh, sorry?" The confused professor jerked towards the hand, which pointed as a small drawstring bag he kept reagents used for first aid when a water mage was unavailable.

"Please...," the hoarse voice of the woman sent shivers down his spine as she beckoned at the bag.

Mutely, he unstrapped the bag from his waist and handed to the woman, belt-strap and all. Without any hesitation, she opened the bag and scattered the contents on the ground, gently replacing it with the contents of her left hand and tightly sealing it shut. She then hung it from her neck using the belt-strap.

"Thanks...,"she nodded to Colbert, who rubbed the back of his head nervously.

The woman closed her left eye and proceeded to roll her neck in a circle, causing Louise to cringe as the resulting cracks. With a satisfied huff, she slowly brought herself to her feet with some effort, groaning painfully as joints popped loudly, muscles twitched violently, and ash fell in puffs and flakes to the ground. She briefly toy with her short hair with an expression of distaste distorting her face as she grunted and grumbled to herself.

Louise and Colbert could only stare in awe at the nude, but ash covered, woman whose height now easily reached twice that of Colbert's. The woman turned her attention to Louise, giving a faint smile with her eyes still closed.

"Would...you happen...to be Louise?" She gasped for breath every couple words, her voice becoming less pained each time.

Louise nodded sheepishly before realizing the woman couldn't see her.

"Ah, y-yes...," she gulped.

"Ah...be at ease then...I assume you...played a role in my...liberation. I thank you," she once again tilted her head to the side with a slight frown, "though...you may wish to rethink my being a humble being...and just what is...a familiar?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Finally, the holiday season is wreaking havoc on my creative drive with how busy work is. Retail sucks, it really does. Regardless, I finally get this one out. Maybe now I can find the motivation to work on some of my other works too now that the season is nearing its end. Also...Sylphid, the Witch isn't that tasty, ok?**

* * *

Louise stood rooted to the ground before her familiar. She craned her neck in a vain attempt to get a look at her face, forcing her to stumble a few steps back as her view had been dominated by the absurd height.

 _'Is she human? Is it even possible for a human to be that tall?'_

The large woman simply stood there, eyes closed, arms limp to her sides, and toes...scrunching into the grass and dirt...

 _'Is...she smiling?'_

She looked to Colbert in her loss for words and unsure what could be said, only to find him in the midst of his own mental funk, gnawing at his bottom lip and tapping his graphite stick to an empty sheet in his notebook.

"Well?" The towering woman cracked open an unfocused eye in her direction and crossed her arms slowly.

 _'Oh...by Brimir, she asked a question didn't she?'_ Louise cringed under the woman's gaze, something in it setting every fiber of her being on edge.

"Ah, milady, there will be plenty time for explanations, perhaps now it would be best to clean up and do something to protect your modesty, hmm?" Colbert interjected before Louise could stutter a response that surely would have her sticking her foot in her mouth.

The woman slowly turned her gaze to Colbert. As she did Louise noticed that Colbert cringed just as she had, confirming that he too felt that certain something that Louise couldn't quite place. Seconds passed as the woman stood there eyeing Colbert up as one would when appraising some curious object before she slowly closed her eye and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Tch..."

 _'D-did she just click her tongue at him?'_ Louise's jaw dropped.

"Fine," her familiar straightened her back and shivered slightly, "I'll humor you, if only for your good intentions..."

 _'Such...disrespectful...,'_ Louise grit her teeth at her familiar's tone but flinched when her cold grey eyes shifted back from Colbert.

"Well, Louise, this would be an opportune time to get to know a little about your familiar. I'll look into finding clothes that would fit her, if you'd go ahead and go to the bathes, they should be empty at the moment and you seem like you could use one as well," Colbert walk by with a shaky voice, leaving an uneasy Louise to deal with an eerily no-quite-antagonistic familiar.

Her familiar stood at her side, arms crossed and eyes closed, seemingly waiting.

"S-so, I suppose I should show you the way then...," Louise mustered her pride and turned up her nose as she began to walk towards the Academy grounds.

As she walked, she noticed a distinct lack of footsteps behind her. A creature her familiar's size would have a noticeable step with its greater weight. So Louise looked over her shoulder to find that her familiar hadn't moved even a step from her spot.

"Oh...," Louise bit her lip as she started to put together the pieces to the puzzle.

How she rarely had more than a single eye open, how it seemed to remain unfocused on any single thing, and she noticed how a few times she seemed to squint at Colbert when he spoke. When Louise approached the motionless familiar she found her mumbling with her face scrunched up in frustration.

 _'Can...can she not see?'_ Louise waved her hand in front of her familiar's face, or at least try, having to raise up on her toes for her hand to reach her breasts.

"Grr...I'm not blind girl!" Her familiar barked at her, sending her to her rear in shock, "...I...just can't seem to see well...anymore..."

Her familiar cringed as she rubbed her eyes, the effort to keep them open seemed to cause great discomfort.

 _'Ah, then maybe she wasn't being disrespectful on purpose, she's just frustrated...'_

"Oh...sorry?" The apology felt weird coming out but Louise continued, " then here, I'll guide you then...we'll have to see a water mage about that if that isn't normal for you."

Louise held up her right hand with the intent of leading her familiar by hand, only for her familiar to struggle to look at her and to lean forward and gently grasp a length of Louise's pink hair.

"I assume you were holding out your hand...but I can only see a blob of pink, and we'd rather not break your fingers by accident no would we?" Her familiar let a small smirk form on her face as Louise sighed and turned in place.

"Whatever...," the short pinkette grunted and massaged the bridge of her nose.

 _'This isn't anything like what I'd expected for a familiar...'_

So the duo slowly made their way onto the main Academy grounds, with Louise reluctantly leading her absurdly tall familiar by unconventional means.

* * *

With each step she felt her frustration grow. The initial pain from opening her eyes had indeed started to fade, if only to be replaced by a general discomfort and the very disturbing inability to focus on anything. Every muscle she moved ached from the exertion and her skin overall felt much too tight on her body.

 _'Just what did that accursed inferno do to me?'_ The Witch grit her teeth.

As a bearer of a full lord soul she had enjoyed a general heightened resilience to anything that would cause permanent harm to her person, a resilience that would never be felt by any creature save for the Everlasting Dragons and some of their closest kin.

Her body tensed as she stepped on an errant stone, shifting her balance ever so slightly to cause her to stumble and brace herself on the diminutive human she used as a guide.

 _'How mortifying...'_ she wasn't sure if she had blushed as the unfocused pink blob seemed to partially turn mid-step.

"Is something the matter?" Louise asked in a tone that the Witch couldn't quite place, a mixture of arrogance, fear, and somehow genuine concern hidden beneath.

The Witch simply hummed her frustration when a familiar feeling tickled the back of her neck. She roughly jerked Louise's head to the left, causing the girl to hop to her side to prevent herself from falling.

"H-hey what gi-" **FWOOM** "AH!" Louise's admonishment was interrupted by a fireball the size of her head that blazed past said head and collided with the Witch's right thigh, sending preexisting ash into the air in a puff while coating the area in a fresh black powder to replace the gray.

The Witch didn't so much as twitch at the impact.

Louise turned towards the direction the fireball came from to find herself cringing at the source, gritting her teeth.

"Kiiiiirche!" She growled as the redhead jogged towards them with her familiar tailing only a few steps behind.

"Ah, sorry, I was playing with my dear Flame. Poor thing tripped and missed the catch," Kirche knelt to playfully scratch Flame's chin after coming to a stop in front of an indignant Louise.

"Gununu~, you did it on purpose didn't you!?" Louise ground her teeth as she tried to burn a hole in Kirche's forehead with her eyes.

"I haven't a clue what you mean. Like I said, I was just play-...why is your familiar holding your hair? ….And why is it still -"

"-nude...," Kirche's tag-along, Tabitha, startled Louise by appearing opposite of Kirche on her left side.

The Witch actually flinched at the quiet voice, idly scratching at the impact area of her thigh with her free hand as she wondered just how the little blue blob managed to avoid detection. Most likely she had been distracted by the bright red blob that had been the source of the pink blob's outrage, or at least that is what the Witch had reasoned.

She shook her head as the one called Kirche somehow goaded Louise into a tirade that only caused Kirche to further tease the smaller girl. As amusing as it seemed, the Witch opted to tune out the teasing and accompanied tantrum. Instead she stood tall, toying with her shortened hair in introspection.

"Hrmm...," her eyes shifted to the red blob that was on the receiving end of ineffective series of punches to the stomach.

 _'She...used fire sorcery...does that mean Quelaana survived to continue her research? Had she really found a way to pass on the Flame to humans?'_ Once more she itched at the thigh that had taken a fireball, _'If so, the product is seriously lacking...'_

She ignored the red beast that sniffed at her, dismissing it regardless of her urge to pet it...she had more important things to think about, such as inquire about the source of the newcomer's fire. Hope of being reunited with one of her daughters blossomed in her buxom. As she took a breath in preparation to interrupt the fighting humans, she felt a chill run down her spine. A familiar feeling from long ago that filled her with both nostalgia and fear. But it was the hot breath on her neck that nearly sent her into a panic.

* * *

Tabitha had been watching Louise's odd familiar from behind the pages of her book, blocking out the shouting fight that had inevitably broken out between said pinkette and Kirche. The large woman seemed lost in thought as she leg go of her grip of Louise's hair when Louise had begun of bat at Kirche's stomach. Kirche's familiar, Flame, seemed unusually interested in the woman even though she opted to instead play with her hair instead give the overgrown lizard any attention.

It was the woman's body became rigid in its entirety that Tabitha became genuinely intrigued and actually slightly worried. Such a response she recognized as an involuntary reaction to intense fear, something she had plenty experience with from her early days at the mercy of her uncle and Sheffield.

 _'What could cause something that ignores a fireball impact to...oh...,'_ Tabitha closed her book with a sharp clap as she noticed Sylphid had managed to place herself directly behind the large woman and had started to sniff at her hair.

She watched as the woman cringed under Sylphid's breath and slowly turn in place, her right hand flexing as though trying to grip something that wasn't there. She jerked her head to look at her empty hand before a look of realization washed over her face and she slowly turned her head back to squint at Sylphid with gritted teeth.

Tabitha watched intently, ready to move should the woman do something regrettable.

The woman stood in place, frozen in conflict provided by the fight or flight instinct. Tabitha was perplexed as to why Louise and Kirche had yet to notice such an intriguing 'battle of wills' between the woman and Sylphid, and instead continued their pointless squabbling. It looked like a scene one would only be able to see in nature if one remained completely undetected, a gripping confrontation between a predator and prey. Tabitha's grip on her staff and book intensified as the woman slowly slid a leg back a step, which seemed to be enough to cause Sylphid to spring into action...promptly licking the woman's face from chin to brow.

Tabitha's shoulders slumped in disappointment, having actually looked forward something exciting, though she quirked an eyebrow as Sylphid covered her mouth and seemed turn green in the face as she allowed herself to fall back while she attempted scrape away the foul taste on her tongue. Sylphid's tail flailed as she wriggled on the ground in disgust, which in turn caused the stunned woman to tumble back. Louise and Kirche had finally taken notice of the action nearby, but only a moment too late as the woman bowled them over in an ashen dust cloud on the ground. Flame, being the not so bright beast he was, must have thought this to be a new game and promptly jumped atop the tangle of limbs in dogpile, causing the woman to heave a deep grunt as the salamander further knocked the air out of her.

Having had her fill of the comical and rather pathetic scene, Tabitha let out a quiet sigh and tapped Sylphid's arm to get her attention.

"Come...," she commanded in a flat tone at she departed the scene.

* * *

"D-dragon...but...not...heh," The Witch's brow twitch as she struggled with her thoughts.

Kirche, the summoner of the annoying salamander, had explained just what the blue beast was. Yet, no matter how she turned the words around in her head, the Witch just couldn't believe it was still a dragon. If what the girl had said was indeed true, the beast couldn't have been anything more than a drake or perhaps a wyvern. Both were bastard relatives of the Dragons she knew, that she had slain. She still twitched at the strangeness that was the fact that it was...tame, for the most part.

Despite the 'danger' having passed, she still couldn't deny the point made clear by the encounter. She was without a catalyst and nigh helpless because of it. Sure, she could attempt the half-baked and mostly theoretical 'Pyromancy' her youngest daughter had ever so excitedly continued on about, that is if she wanted to cook herself from the inside.

She attempted to smooth her tousled hair with her free hand, the damned 'dragon' having given her a 'cowlick' as Kirche had put it. Her other hand lightly gripped the slightly messy and tangled hair of Louise as she continued to guide her to the bathes. The short trip being somewhat silent save for some grumbling as the two humans complained about their 'disgusting' state. Somehow, the Witch found a perverse satisfaction in having smeared her ashen filth over the rather obnoxious duo.

"Here we are...," Louise turned and tapped the Witch's hand to get her attention, "This is one of the private bathes. Be sure to get yourself cleaned well, I can't have you going around like you are now."

The Witch let go of Louise's hair and attempted to take stock of her surroundings. The air she breathed felt humid and the stone floor somewhat damp and slick.

 _'Ah, a heated bath is it?'_ Her blurry vision setting on the shimmering pool of water that looked as if she could barely lay within it on her back, with her shoulders and head well out of the water...and most likely her feet would stick out as well.

 _'Somewhat small...then again, it must be meant for humans.'_

The movement of the pink and red blobs caught her attention as she moved towards where they had entered the room.

"We'll...be going to different bathes," Louise paused, the first word said with some venom directed at her redheaded 'companion', "I'll make sure a servant knows to come here with whatever Professor Colbert managed to find to clothe you and then help you find my room."

With that, the Witch was left alone with only the occasional sound of dripping of water and her thoughts for company.

"Huh, I suppose I may indulge myself then," she mumbled to herself as she carefully knelt by the steaming water and began to rinse the filth from her hair.

It felt surprisingly soft and smooth for hair that was savaged for an unknown amount of time by the brutal black flames of her former prison. When she pulled her bangs down before her eyes she had begun to lament at how her once almost reflective obsidian hair had been bleached to a nearly silver white by her ordeals in the fire.

She rose to her full height to gingerly step into the body of water, reveling in the comparatively gentle heat that actually put her at eases. She slid down so that only her knees and head remained above the waterline as she gently rubbed off caked ash and blood. A deep frown formed on her lips as she traced the edges of scarred tissue that seemed to cover a sizable portion of her body.

"Tch, if only I had a catalyst...," the Witch grunted in frustration as she thought of several ways she could restore her once smooth skin to its former glory if she had unfettered access to her sorcery, quite possibly her hair as well.

 _'No use fretting over it for now...there are more important things to worry about.'_

As she hung her arms over the edges of the 'large' bathtub her thoughts wandered to that of her daughters and son. She had escaped her 'prison' and an unknown amount of time had passed, long enough for her daughters to find a way to pass on a form of flame sorcery and for someone to find a way to restore life to the land. Whether it was by recreating or revitalizing the First Flame, she could not tell. She would have to ask about where she was since no creature she encountered seemed native to Lordran, nor did the one that aided her or her compatriots seem to realize who she was.

Then there was the fact the human named Kirche mentioned that the 'dragon' and the salamander were Familiars, a term she remembered from just after she escaped the fire. Something that she too was apparently referred to. What did that actually mean? She had originally assumed the 'dragon' and salamander to be some sort of pet to the humans.

An infuriating implication crossed her mind that caused her to grit her teeth before deciding to dismiss it.

 _'Not important...'_

She brought a hand to her forehead and massaged her brow to nurse a dull headache that seemed to fade just as fast as it formed.

 _'By the flame...why am I so tired...'_

Her body felt heavy and despite the warmth of the water, seemed to have a slight chill, and the edges of her scars seemed to itch.

"Hmm...," She turned her blurred vision to the water, "red..."

Her mind was swimming as she slurred the word.

A knock echoed before the door to the room creaked open.

"E-excuse me, I'm h-here with your sheet- er...robes from Professor...ah...," the nervous voice the doorway hitched mid-sentence and transformed into scream.

 _'So noisy...,'_ the Witch's eyes felt heavy.

She allowed them to close, ignoring the ruckus of the servant in favor of an encroaching slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Well, take this as proof I'm still alive. Though it may be a tad bit short for my taste, I simply HAD to put this out, and what a relief it is. I think finally posting this may have helped chip away at the massive block I've had with stress and depression. I think I'll try to write more of this before any others since the story certainly is going very slow, but I'm enjoying writing the Witch the most of all the other characters I write. Also, I want to once again thank everyone for the patience and sticking with me this long. Here's to hopefully getting back into writing on a regular basis again.

* * *

She felt no warmth.

Struggling to move, yet her limbs disobeyed her. The Witch mustered the will to force her eyes open. There was surprisingly no pain, no need to adjust to the light. It was surreal, even more so as she took in her surroundings.

Familiar stone walls and soft candle light greeted her. In the corner was a small round table with two simple chairs set in line with the walls. There were no windows, but tapestry lined the walls in it's stead with images of fire, the sun, and symbolic Arch-Trees. It was all too familiar.

 _'Home?'_

She struggled to sit up, finding her body leaden and only making a token response to her command. She hummed in frustration.

"Ah, dear Mother? Is something the matter?" A scratchy but comforting masculine voice caused the Witch to blink in confusion. "You really shouldn't over do it you know. Sometimes we don't know what to do with you, going off and making us worry so," the voice chuckled.

The Witch sought out the source of the voice, narrowing in on the table and chairs. A young man sat leaning an elbow on the table with his chin resting on his hand, a playful smirk on his bandaged face. The bandages had covered most of his exposed skin and also snaked under the black and gold robes he wore. Messy black hair tumbled down his forehead and neck, unhindered by the hood he never used.

"...," The Witch attempted to speak, only raspy puffs of air escaping in place of words.

 _'My son? My dear son!'_ The Witch felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes.

"Mum? Why are you crying?" A slightly deep feminine voice startled the Witch.

The Witch tried to turn her head, but could only manage to strain her eyes in an attempt to focus on her peripheral vision. As she tried, movement brought her attempt to an abrupt halt.

"Mother, you look absolutely uncomfortable," a pale hand brushed her forehead, she felt nothing, and the faces of two of her beloved daughter moved above her, each showing deep concern in their eyes.

"Don't you suppose she should get some more rest? She's been through so much," Quelaag looked to her sister.

"Hmm, yes, rest would do you so much good, Mother," Quelaan turned to the Witch with her usual caring sparkle in her eyes.

 _'Tis a cruel dream...it must be,'_ tears now streamed freely from her eyes.

"Indeed, you really should take better care of yourself. We won't always be there for you," her eldest daughter came into view, causing the Witch's breath to hitch in her throat. "But, for now, take heart that we'll always love you, Mother."

Her daughters and son all crowded as her eldest leaned in to place a kiss upon her forehead, a gesture she'd often do which usually earned some good-natured and playful batting at her hair from her mother and a half-hearted nudge on her shoulder. But at this moment, the Witch hadn't the strength nor will to respond with more than tears and a soft whimper.

As her eldest daughter's lips met her forehead, her daughter suddenly decided to give her mother a long and wet lick across the face.

"UwaaH~?" the Witch yelped in surprise.

And then the illusion was gone.

BREAK

The Witch jolted in place, slapping her left hand to her face to wipe away some oddly smelling moisture.

"W-what?" she rasped as she pushed a somewhat light weight off her chest and shifted herself into a seated position.

The hand that met her face had not only met the fresh moisture, but also lightly bound bandages and a thick viscous gel that seemed to soak into everything. Her face puckered into a grimace as she rubbed the substance between her forefinger and thumb, briefly smelling it to find it had a bitter but seemingly cool scent. A chill caused her to shiver as sheets she didn't realize covered her fell to her thighs. The bandages on her face weren't alone, since a good majority of her body was bound in the thick gauze fabric and gel save for certain areas of her nether regions.

Her vision, while somewhat blurred from having just woken up, was returning to her. The unfamiliar stone walls were lined with dimly lit lamps that shined a pale blue and radiated no heat, yet flickered just the same as flames would. A faint energy of sorcery lingered from them. The rather small bed she occupied was not the only one, many more occupied the room, each separated by a curtain that had been drawn open. A couple windows were open, allowing a cool breeze in, causing the white drapes to flutter gently.

Her head bobbed in place numbly as she took in her surroundings. Not much came to her mind about the place, but instead she lingered more on her dream. Less so the overall content, doing so caused her heart to ache, but rather what it did not contain.

 _'Why wasn't Quelana present?'_ her head lulled to the side in thought.

She closed her eyes and tried to will herself to keep calm, her heart still raced from her sudden jolt awake and she still shivered lightly at the chill caressing her body. A pitiful dog-like whimper drew her attention to her bedside.

"Oh?" The Witch arched an eyebrow at the sight that greeted her.

The salamander and familiar to the red-headed human, Flame, sat on his haunches with his head tilted off to the right and staring directly at the Witch's face.

"Was...it you that woke me from my slumber?" The Witch faintly recalled a weight on her chest as she woke up, not to mention the whole wet face thing.

The salamander seemed to perk up at being addressed and happily yipped in response, causing the Witch to weakly smile in amusement.

"Well, do not let it happen again, I do not enjoy being licked on the face," the smile quickly faded at the memory of the pseudo-dragon's assault on her dignity earlier. The thought gave her pause enough to reflect, however.

"Where am I? How did...I was in the baths, but...," she brought a hand up to run through her hair in thought, only to pause at the tugging sensation and accompanied itch and ache that spread on her raised forearm.

"Ugh, what...?" The sensation pulled at her attention enough to draw it completely to the source.

Turning her arm so that her palm faced away and the back of her forearm could be examined, she found a growing line of red that ever so slowly spread into the white gauze.

A curious hum escaped her lips as she gently parted the overlapping gauze.

"Ah!"

No sooner had she caught a glimpse of what lay beneath had she clapped her hand over the bare strip of flesh. Revulsion and a creeping fear boiled in her stomach.

 _'By the flame...is...,'_ she avoided completing the thought as she shakily shifted the sheets from her legs, revealing similar blotches of red underneath the gauze coverings of her stomach and legs.

The Witch screwed her eyes shut in revelation.

"Just how much damage has that accursed darkness done?" She grit her teeth and spoke under her breath.

Placing a hand to her chest to reassure herself that her heart still beat within, she comforted herself in the knowledge that she still lived. No curse plagued her, at least so she hoped. Gingerly bringing her legs off the bed, allowing scant enough time for the red lizard to make room, she felt the need to simply move. Something, anything, to get her mind off her condition and her dream. Carefully standing, testing her balance as she did, she shivered once more mostly from the chill that invaded her nethers.

"This is going to be an issue isn't it?" She mumbled halfheartedly to Flame in amusement as he tilted his head once more.

Pulling the largest of sheets off the bed, the one that was once laid on top of her, she wrapped it around her waist several times in a make shift skirt that reached just below her knees. The thick gauze around her chest, arms, and stomach provided insulation to protect her top half at least.

"Now, just where am I? Some sort of infirmary?" The Witch mused as she idly picked up and observed various items from a nearby stand.

Various vials of viscous liquid, an unlit candle, and many metal instruments that she assumed would be best used for the cleaning and dressing of wounds. As well as many other objects she guessed may have some sorcerous applications, but none she recognized. Shaking her head and heaving a heavy sigh, she let the objects be and took some exploratory steps towards the only door, doing her best to maintain balance as she regained control of her weak and tired legs. As she reached for the door's handle she noticed Flame had remained close by, sometimes brushing against her right leg.

"Oh? Worried for me are you?" She snorted at the thought, eliciting a quiet whine from the lizard. "Well, I don't mind the company, so long as that tongue stays in that mouth of yours."

As she spoke she had cracked open the door, the brighter light from the hallway bringing a familiar pain to her eyes. Grunting in indignation, she looked away while shielding her eyes with her other hand. Rooted in place by the painful light, she paused in thought, and with a resigned sigh she pulled a length of gauze from her forehead over her eyes.

"This wears at my patience," she blinked behind the gauze, thankful that it blocked enough of the offending light but wasn't so thick to prevent some semblance of sight, hindered as it may be.

As she left the room she could hear the voices of a man and woman just out of sight behind a turn in the hallway. They were in the midst of a heated argument. The man gruffly chiding in a more elder tone something about how he needed better mundane equipment, while the younger and seemingly more arrogant woman complaining how something was interfering with her 'magic'. Through the few snippets of what the Witch heard, she could only assume they spoke of her.

"Sad excuses for healers...the thought of sorcery for healing? At least the mundane methods had time and again proven somewhat effective for most," the Witch cursed under her breath,"well, Flame was it? You wouldn't happen to know a way outside? Preferably not in the direction of those fools?"

She looked to the lizard, not expecting anything resembling an answer, speaking only to her herself speak more or less. To her surprise the overgrown lizard looked excited and she soon found the hem of her makeshift skirt being pull down the hallway in the grasp of it's maw.

Minutes passed while she was led by Flame, whom she begrudgingly began to accept the feelings of affection for. Something about him comforted her, his proximity simply felt warm for a lack of proper words for what she felt. During the trek down a flight of stairs and several more winding hallways, they had encounter no one, much to her relief. Finally they reached a set of double doors that Flame proceeded to scratch at with no effect.

The Witch pull open one side, allowing Flame to scamper out in front of her before she herself was plunged into the chill of night air. As irritating as it was, it was also refreshing in how natural it felt compared to the build they left behind. Stepping on the cool grass, she took a moment to enjoy how it felt. The smells of plant life and the moistness of the air seemed to rejuvenate her spirit as she tried her best not to compare it to her time surrounded by the malicious heat and dryness of her prior prison. Slowly, she followed the excited Flame further, his bright red hide being the best point of reference for her weakened sight. She simply didn't care for where he led her, the feeling of relative freedom was exhilarating.

The sound of trickling water caught her attention though, her ears perking up as she realized her thirst.

"Ah," the sound of her voice was low but caught Flame's attention, "Little Flame, would you guide me to the water?"

She gestured in the direction of the sound as Flame seemed to calm down and trot to her side. As if reading her intent, he raised his tail just enough to touch the Witch's relaxed hand.

"Hmm, well aren't you a gentleman?" She giggled as she gently grasped the tip of his tail and allowed him to pull her along.

The source of the sound was a large fountain, with water gently cascading from some opening at it's top. Slowly lowering herself to her knees, the Witch pulled away the lengths of gauze that covered her eyes and parts of her face and began to cup the water in her hands. A few splashes of the refreshing liquid upon her face set her heart racing for a moment at the intense chill it provided, before cupping some more to slowly sip from her hands.

Content in slaking her thirst she allowed the water to once again still. The reflection in the glimmering pool caused her to cringe. Raising a wet hand to her face, she caressed the horribly scarred skin. First, from around her eyes, then trailing her cheek to her lips that formed a trembling frown. The beauty and youthfulness she once had was torn away by cruel corrupted fire.

Behind her reflected image, however, brought a wave of confusion. Slowly she drew her gaze to the sky where her eyes were greeted by a pair of mismatched moons.

"What...?"

Panic set in as she tried to process the image in her mind. It was no illusion produced by the Lords, that much she could tell. Such illusions a fellow Lord could easily see through. Nor was it hallucination, or at least she hoped it wasn't. Doubt crept into her heart as the image and what little information she had gathered since being freed came together. She needed to know, just what had happened since she last set foot outside the inferno. Where...or when...she was.

"I...need answers...now?" Her voice shook, causing Flame to poke at her side with his snout in worry.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well, this took a while, and it sort of feels like filler even if it is needed. The poor Witch is thoroughly confused and without direction, but it seems like she's found a couple friends so far.**

 **BMBB unfortunately is still getting stuck in my head, so it will be quite some time before I get anything done with it, and it infuriates me to no end. But in the meantime I'll try to get caught up with a few other stories, maybe even get out a one shot or a new non-crossover fic out. Or at least a non-FoZ related cross over. I'm starting to think that half of the stories are starting to wear on me. Work and this damned depression still hasn't let up, but each time I finish a piece of writing it feels like a weight is taken off my shoulders, even if it is only a little bit.**

* * *

Siesta grumbled to herself in frustration as she walked the halls of the Academy. A large mass of linens bundled in her arms made navigating more frustrating than it should have been, especially with her mind elsewhere. To think she'd be tasked with tailoring a robe from whatever fabrics she could find at an abnormally large size only to walk in on a woman bleeding to death. How and why was never revealed.

 _'Suicide? No, I shouldn't think that way, I've never so much as knew such a person existed in the first place. All the scars and things on her body...burns?'_

She violently shook the thoughts from her head and continued to her destination. After pulling the woman from the waters of the bath and administering what aid she could in her panic and calling for help, she had found that the robes she crafted in haste had been dirtied in ashen mud water and would have to be cleaned. At least she knew who they were for now. The woman she barely saved from bleeding out.

With a heavy sigh she kicked open the unassuming servants entrance door into the courtyard. Her destination the fountain that was the only source of water at this ungodly hour that wouldn't disturb someone's work or peace if she were to use it for laundry. Stepping into the cool night air, she shuddered briefly before making her way to the fountain, only to find she wasn't alone.

Struggling to see around the massive bundle of cloth in her arms she finally caught a glimpse of the person at the fountain.

"Ah...," Siesta was about to call out to the individual when the person's face darted to face her. Shimmering steel-grey eyes rooted Siesta in place as the person now obviously a woman stared at her.

"Uh...um...hello?" Siesta tried to swallow the lump in her throat, the woman's gaze sending an intense fear into her very core.

Slowly, the woman's narrowed eyes closed then opened, and the pressure Siesta felt dissipated as the woman turned to sit with her back to the fountain's stone foundation. Now that Siesta could see the woman in full, she recognized her. The woman from the baths that she pulled from the bloody waters.

"I sense no hostility in you, please, there is nothing to fear from one such as I...," the woman made a dismissive gesture with her left hand as she scratched the crest of a massive red lizard like creature that made it's presence known from the other side of the woman.

Siesta numbly nodded before taking shaky steps towards the fountain. Keeping a respectable distance, just close enough that no offense would be taken but not close enough to do the same, Siesta set to work in rinsing the filth out from the makeshift robes.

 _'Should I say anything? Does she even know I was the one that...helped her?'_ Siesta thought as she stole furtive glances at the large woman.

By the fourth or so glance she realized that the woman was actually watching her from the corner of her eye the entire time. It was then that Siesta once again locked up, her face flushing a deep red.

"You...seem familiar. Have I met you before?" The woman's voice was gentle, almost cruelly so.

Siesta felt the hair on the back of neck stand on end as she forced herself not to tremble in the presence of the strange woman. So as not to potentially offend, she turned to fully face the woman. She took a moment to finally look at her before speaking, noticing that the woman was now nearly covered in her entirety in gauze that replaced the hurried bandaging Siesta had placed on her before and the gentle breeze wafted over a thick, almost suffocating scent of antiseptics.

"U-um, I pulled you o-out of the b-b-bath...ma'am. You w-were bleeding h-heavily a-a-and..."

"Easy, child. You needn't be so nervous, I hold no hostility towards you. I said so myself a moment ago," the woman's mouth quirked slightly at the corner, forming a sort of smile, though it seemed pained, "So, I have you to thank for keeping me from expiring in the midst of a bath, hmm?"

Siesta could only nod, not trusting herself to speak without making a fool of herself even after the woman's attempts at soothing her nerves.

"And...your name, child?"

"Siesta, ma'am..."

Siesta couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as the woman's smile widened slightly before turning away, those steely eyes releasing her from their grasp. A somewhat comfortable silence settled upon them as Siesta resumed her work. As she set about trying to remove the filth from fabric she found herself becoming frustrated at some stubborn patches that had blood mixed in with the ashen mud, scrubbing harshly at it. The water suddenly felt warm, no, hot to the touch as wisps of steam started to form above it. In her confusion Siesta lifted her head from her work, looking around only for her eyes to fall on the woman once more, finding that she had her left hand waving gently in the water of the fountain.

"It is easier to remove most stains with hot water, child," the woman stole a glance at the maid with a cocky grin forming on her face, "a mother's wisdom..."

"O-oh...thank you?"

The awkwardness Siesta once felt seemed to melt away as the woman chuckled quietly.

"The look on your face is priceless, is this really so confusing to you?" The woman removed her hand, seemingly drying in an instant in a puff of steam.

"H-how did you do that? Are you a mage?" Siesta shrunk into herself.

She had only the slightest hope that she hadn't overstepped any the boundaries present in peasant/noble interactions. The woman clearly used some sort of magic, most likely a fire spell of some sort given the effects.

"It...it really I...is it not?" The woman sighed. "Only more evidence in my suspicions...I really must have answers..."

The woman's face now formed a scowl that set Siesta on edge even more than her gaze had moments ago. Noticing the maid's apparent dawning horror, the woman let out an even deeper sigh.

"Please...be at ease girl," her voice raised ever so slightly in annoyance, "my frustration is not with you, but my current situation."

Her words eased Siesta's worst fears at least.

"Tell me, I need to speak with...Colbert...I think his name was..., where would I find him?" Siesta noticed a faint wheeze in the woman's voice.

"Ah, Mr. Colbert would have turned in a few hours ago. Today was an exhausting day for all the teachers...what with the summoning rituals that took place," Siesta brought a finger to her chin in thought, finally becoming accustomed to the faint oppressive force that seemed to radiate from the woman.

* * *

The Witch of Izalith grunted at the answer Siesta gave her. It certainly wasn't one she wanted. She didn't want to ask everyone around the same questions in hopes of receiving the answers she needed. Colbert had been the first choice as he already made it clear he'd be the most cooperative with any questioning. Perhaps the one that pulled her from the accursed flames would have answers? She'd have to track her down, and since it didn't seem she was a faculty member she wasn't sure Siesta would know her whereabouts off hand. Perhaps Siesta herself could provide at least something?

The Witch turned again to the maid, this time with a full disarming smile on her face...it didn't have the effect she had hoped, as Siesta's eyes widened in fear.

 _'Ah...I forgot about my current appearance...'_

"Calm now, child...," The Witch's shoulder's slumped in disappointment, "Perhaps you could answer some questions in ...Mr. Colbert's place?"

"O-of course!" Siesta yelped.

The Witch slowly blinked, restraining her annoyance.

"You haven't calmed yourself, child...breathe..."

Siesta flushed at the statement before taking a deep shuddering breath and setting about occupying her hands with the cloth she was cleaning before.

"Good, now...lets start with...where am I?" The Witch forced her rasping voice to be as even and gentle as she could manage.

Siesta turned back with a raised eyebrow.

"Humor me, child!" The Witch had to massage the bridge of her nose.

"A-ah, yes...You are at the Tristain Academy of Magic," Siesta answered, slowly going back to kneading the dirty cloth.

"A Dragon School of Sorcery then?"

Again Siesta turned with a raised eyebrow. The Witch waved off the maid's confusion.

 _'Well, that isn't promising...'_

"And what lands does this ...Academy reside?"

"The kingdom of Tristain, on the Halkegenian continent?" Siesta answered again with nonsensical names.

 _'Not promising at all...'_

"What of the state of the First Flame?" The Witch asked with some hesitation.

Only to be answered by Siesta staring at her with furrowed eyebrows in confused silence. The Witch groaned internally.

"Are the names Gwyn, Nito, Seathe, or Izalith familiar to you?" The Witch hoped they were.

Siesta shook her head. The Witch winced at her hopes being dashed.

"How about...Anor Londo, Carim, Astora..."

Once again, Siesta shook her head.

Now the Witch had begun cradling her face in her hands, feeling a deep despair creeping in before lifting her right hand and pointing to the sky.

"How long have the moon...moons been that way?"

"Since...forever?" Siesta tilted her head at her mounting confusion.

Finally the frustration simply could not be held in any longer and the Witch bolted to her feet and let out a furious scream as she clutched at the sides of her head.

"THIS IS ALL WRONG!" She immediately fell to her knees, clutching her chest as she began to cough," How...can you...not know any...of this!?" She tried to speak between coughs.

Siesta, who had fallen back onto her behind in fright, had quickly sprung back forward, unsure how to ease the Witch's coughing fit. She hesitated a moment before deciding to risk rubbing her back, as if the Witch were choking. The Witch held out a hand, palm facing the maid.

"It will pass...thank you for...the gesture anyway...," the Witch took a deep breath before she was able to settle back to her previous position by the fountain. Though this time she was slumped forward and held her face in her hands.

After a period of silence, the Witch stirred, looking up to the moons.

"Was...I taken to another land entirely?" She said, barely above a whisper.

She no longer felt she wanted any answers, she had heard enough for now. Perhaps later she could pry better answers from Colbert, but the maid had no reason to lie. Her words felt honest and sincere.

The Witch needed her mind at ease if she were to make sense of things. She needed some familiarity. The comfortable warmth Flame provided simply wasn't enough to keep herself calm, she was grasping at shreds of sanity as it was.

"Child? Would you care to indulge an old woman in a story?"

Siesta had sensed the tinge of melancholy in the Witch's cracking voice, pausing her work only a moment to give a hesitant hum of confirmation.

"Ah...well, where to begin?"

Neither the Witch nor Siesta notice Flame's left eye shimmer and change color and shape.

* * *

"Well!? You're were so sure a moment ago. Where are they!?" Louise crossed her arms in frustration at her 'companion'.

"Oh don't get your small-clothes in a bunch Little Zero. This is harder than it I thought," Kirche flicked her still damp hair out of her her face.

When Louise had heard that her Familiar had been brought to the Academy medical wing with a serious case of 'inability to keep vital body fluids inside' by the commoner help, she had found herself in a frantic rush to get there. Only once she had, she found that her familiar had gone missing and the medical staff were at a complete loss as to where she went.

 _'Some healers they are, unable to keep a patient in one place,'_ Louise tapped her foot impatiently as she remembered the frantic and rather pathetic excuses that were offered.

It was in her haste to track down her familiar that she came across Kirche, who had spent an inordinate amount of time soaking in the baths, looking for Flame. It seemed that Kirche was convinced that Flame wouldn't be that far off from Louise's wayward Familiar, since the overgrown lizard had made repeated attempts to enter the private bath Louise's Familiar had been using before being dragged away by Kirche. Sometime during Kirche's long bath, Flame had also disappeared without a trace while Kirche certainly didn't fall asleep in the tub.

It was how they came to be at the current juncture. With Kirche attempting to cast the common Familiar Sense spell, allowing her to gain the senses, in particular the sight and hearing, of Flame in order to determine his location.

When Kirche's left eye took on a slightly reptilian visage, they knew the spell had been successful.

"OH! There it is! It's working!" Kirche chirped excitedly.

"Well!?"

"HUSH! I hear your Familiar. She's talking to a maid...," the redhead playfully patted Louise's head, much to the latter's chagrin.

A minute passed as Kirche's smile slowly faded. A couple more passed with Louise growing increasingly impatient, and Kirche seemingly deflating into herself. How long this continued, neither kept track, but Kirche finally closed her eyes, allowing the spell to dissipate.

"W-well...?" Louise was in a state of unease at Kirche's uncharacteristic somber self.

"Louise?"

"What?"

"Please don't be mad at your Familiar...and I think we should...leave them be for the night, they'll be fine...," Kirche's voice shook as she spoke.

Kirche started off with uneasy steps towards her dorm room before Louise grabbed at her more-conservative-than-usual night-clothes.

"W-wait, what do you mean?"

"Just...let it slide for now, okay? Kirche sighed as she continued to her room.

Louise was left there for a moment in confusion before letting out a defeated huff and departing to her own room.

* * *

Siesta simply stared at the now dry robes, neatly folded in her lap. While the tall tale the odd Familiar certainly seemed like a work of fiction, something about how it was told spoke more about what it truly was than what it seemed at face value.

 _'If...if that was really...,'_ Siesta grit her teeth as she thought. _'How could she even talk about that...and to a complete stranger even?'_

It felt as though something extremely personal was shared with the maid. Yet, she had no way of knowing what was fact and what was fiction, if any of it was indeed fact. The focus of the story, a heretical witch by all Brimiric measure, undone by her own hubris at the urging of her king no less. The detailed description of her children, and how nothing was known of them after the witch's fall from grace. Then finally the bittersweet release from her terrible prison. It all seemed so real, yet surreal at the same time.

She would no speak of it to another, out of respect for the odd trust placed in her. She was still unsure why it was placed in the first place. Perhaps it was all simply on a whim, or perhaps a sort of confession to an impartial party.

She opened her mouth to speak, unsure just what she'd say to the Familiar that had fallen silent minutes ago. Only in the process she was interrupted by haggard, raspy, but somehow peacefully breathing. Looking up from the robes she found an oddly cute sight before her. The large woman was slightly slumped forward with the salamander, whom she had remember was Kirche's Familiar Flame, cradled gently in her arms.

A sad smile graced Siesta's lips as she slowly stood, taking care not to make any noise. Unfurling the robes meant for the woman, she gingerly wrapped it around her shoulders, barely coming into contact with the sleeping Familiars in the process.

 _'Oh...,'_ she held in a giggle, _'so warm...'_

With that done, Siesta decided it'd be prudent to retire for the night. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, since it was a day for the student mages to bond with their familiars and many would require the aid of the school care staff throughout the day for various tasks related to their new companions. Such a time was taxing on the hired help, but it was necessary.


	5. Chapter 5

Morning seemed to come far too quickly for Louise. The light of the rising sun tortured her still tired eyes, such that she gave up on trying to sleep in. The previous day was more taxing than previously thought and left her exhausted even after a full night of rest. Not bothering to try drawing the curtains closed to block the sun, she instead opted to languidly dress herself, with the thought that perhaps she simply needed some food to relieve her drained mind and body.

There was still the issue of finding and learning the nature of her familiar, a task she'd loathe to admit she needed someone's help for. The unfortunate fact that Kirche was the most convenient option irked her, but she hadn't the energy to find anyone else. Kirche was her neighbor in the dorms after all. Only briefly lamenting on how she lacked clothes other than her uniforms, though it wasn't as though she left the Academy often enough for it to matter, she stretched her arms above her head after dressing for the day. Letting out a sigh, she pulled open the door to her room only to be confronted by something she didn't want to face this early in the morning. Kirche's breasts...

"Ah! Ze-...Louise!" Kirche was only about to knock when the door had been all but flung open.

"Zerbst...what do you want?" Louise deadpanned.

"Oh...eh heh, well, since our familiars seemed to have taken a liking to each other, I figured maybe..."

Louise rolled her eyes, seeing Kirche's train of thought. An absurd notion considering their family's stance towards each other, but she didn't have the energy to fight at the moment.

"Whatever, I'm hungry and still need to retrieve my familiar, so do whatever you want. I don't care...," Louise paused after pushing past Kirche, "You'll...still help me track her down right?"

Kirche smirked.

"Sure, after breakfast right?"

Needless to say, they caused a minor stir when they entered Alviss Hall side by side and not acting outright hostile. Many had claimed the end of the world, others believed themselves to be hallucinating, and others still, thought up other scandalous things.

* * *

Flame awoke with a start as his impromptu bed stirred beneath him. A pained groan greeted him as he blinked up at the scarred and burnt face of the creature he felt an implacable connection to. He just couldn't figure out what this 'beast' was. It...she...it smelled like a she...under the smell of fire and ash anyway...felt eerily similar to himself, yet different. He could feel an ache developing in the back of his head, so he decided to disregard these thoughts, at least for now. They were far too difficult to comprehend properly. Instead he opted to bark out a quiet greeting at his newfound friend.

The beast whose lap he had been sleeping on cracked a small smile as she pulled the fabric from her forehead to her eyes.

"Well, good morning to you, little Flame. Sleep well?" She gave him a hoarse whisper.

He nuzzled gently against her hand that had begun to scratch at the ridge atop his head. He enjoyed the attention, feeling comfort and safety in it, arguably more so than what he felt from his new mistress. In the back of his mind, he knew his mistress had awoke not long ago, she seemed largely unconcerned by the fact he wasn't with her. It felt like an odd sort of trust he couldn't really place. Perhaps she was just a trusting sort? Regardless, due to this he felt no compulsion to find his mistress, so he opted to remain to bask in the warmth and scent of this odd beast's aura of fire and ash.

A grumble radiates from the stomach of the larger beast.

"Ah, how far have I fallen, to feel the hunger of lessers," his companion grumbled in response to the grumble.

"Perhaps I should remedy that, I haven't eaten...or needed to, for so long."

Flame looked up once more to find her staring at him hungrily, a flash of panic flowing over his face.

"Ah haha, you needn't worry, while I'm sure you'd be tasty. You're fun to tease, but I feel it'd be best to have something lighter and simpler. It wouldn't do to have my first meal in ages wasted on a stomach that would reject it."

Flame felt the panic wash away, replaced by relief, the beast that held him seemed to be playful at the least. Though he too felt a small pang in his guts, food sounded nice at the moment.

Oh, he had just realized, this beast must not have a particularly good sense of smell. She couldn't just simply follow the smell of the delectable goodies he could smell. Well, time to earn some bonus points with his new friend by leading her to the deliciousness of human food.

"Hmm? What is it, little Flame?" Confusion graced the scarred face of his friend as he tugged lightly at her bandages.

Seemingly getting the hint, she stood to her full height, only now noticing the robes that threatened to slip from her shoulders. The pause of confusion she given him on seeing the cloth seemed endearing, at least to him. Putting the pieces together in her mind, remembering the kind human they encountered the previous night, a small smile returned as she gingerly slipped her arms into the sleeves and pulled up the hood over her head. It was ill fitting, far too large, even for her large form, but Flame felt it complimented her aura of mystery and power. He watched her cinch it closed with a loose bandage she removed from her abdomen, then allowed her arms to drop to her side with the sleeves effectively hiding her hands in their flowing length.

It was odd, perhaps a bit majestic, Flame found himself strangely able to admire the bright white shrouded beast with only glimpses of her scarred form beneath as she seemed even more imposing now than when clad only in dirty bandages and scars in full view.

"Well, you wanted to show me something I assume?"

And thus he was brought back to reality. Why yes, he had wanted to show her the glories of human food! Perhaps she may praise him like his mistress had not long after he was summoned, that was nice.

So he nodded with a froggy chirp.

"Very well, you have not led me astray thus far, I trust you will not now."

She playfully batted away the tail he offered to guide her with, he supposed she could see a bit better now then? A shame really. Oh, he really shouldn't think that way, it's good that she was getting confident enough that she didn't need her hand held in a figurative sense.

Well, off in search of precious nourishment!

* * *

Louise indulged in a rather hearty meal. The quality was of course fit for nobles, expertly prepared and with the best ingredients. She didn't really get to enjoy it though, as her thoughts were preoccupied. Kirche sat across from her with her silent tag along beside her. Kirche herself was uncharacteristically quiet, almost as much as her blue friend normally was. She had remained silent about what she had heard and seen when she used the spell to use her familiar's senses the night prior, always deflecting or ignoring, until Kirche finally relented. Not enough to tell her directly, but instead insist that Louise talk directly to her own familiar.

Her familiar was an enigma. A great mass of scar tissue and intimidation. Shirking off a fireball to the leg as though it were nothing, yet startled and at least a bit fearful of dragons. The fact that she almost succumbed to whatever injuries she suffered barely over an hour after being summoned had worried her. Yet, her familiar ended up simply walking out of the infirmary with no one the wiser until she was long gone. The fact she somehow managed to strike up a rapport with Kirche's salamander was odd, though perhaps it was due to some sort of affinity for fire. Which would explain in part why she shrugged off a fireball and was covered in burn scars.

She couldn't help but shiver at the thought of what would be needed to cause those if a fireball had no effect at all. Then she would shiver at the thought that such an affinity would mean she herself may share a magical affinity with a Zerbst. She was sure a fire affinity didn't run in either side of her family. Wind, Water, and a little Earth perhaps, but not Fire.

She was jolted from her thoughts as Kirche clapped several times in front of her face.

"W-what was that for!?" Louise barked out.

"I was trying to talk to you for the past few minutes, but you were in a world all your own!" Kirche pouted.

Louise raised an eyebrow.

"And what would you have to talk about that I'd be interested in?"

Kirche sighed as if lamenting something.

"Never mind, it was just small talk. Guiche was up to his antics again, nothing really important," the redhead pushed her empty plates to the side, patting her stomach in contentment, "perhaps once you're finished we can go look for our familiars?"

 _'Well, at least she has some semblance of priorities. I really need to figure out just what my familiar is, certainly not human!'_

Thus Louise took to task in finishing her half-eaten food with gusto, not noticing the maid that had walked by, stopping only a moment to pick something up and lightly jog out of Alviss Hall in the direction of where Guiche had just left.

* * *

Flame was an extremely content salamander. Currently curled up at the side of his friend, his belly full of lovely left over meats from the human kitchen. The friend in question sat cross legged with her back to the brick wall outside the kitchen, nibbling at a chunk of buttery bread. He didn't understand why she hadn't accepted the delicious meats and the less delicious vegetables that were offered from the bountiful stock of left overs in the kitchen, but he couldn't really fault her for it. Perhaps she wasn't a carnivore as he was, and maybe bread may have been interesting enough to pass over the plants other beasts would be so inclined towards. Maybe she could eat anything like some other creatures, and simply liked this bread stuff. He didn't know.

"Ah, I forgot how satisfying food was. Normally I would just sustain myself with fire sorcery, but I find myself at a disadvantage at the moment."

Oh, so she might be closer to one of those weird spirit things then? She must have been looking at his tail back then, it did end with a sizable ball of flame after all. It may have looked quite delectable to her, but the fact it was tied to his health she must have figured it wouldn't be wise to eat it. How considerate of her.

She had finished her bread, lightly licking the remaining butter from her fingers. She let her head fall back, resting against the cool stone brickwork, settling into a comfortable silence. A silence that was broken by a sharp startled yelp from across the field that was filled with tables, chairs, and humans with their beasts.

"Hrrm?" His friend seemed to bolt upright at the sound, squinting into the distance.

Flame lazily looked out over the field, quickly settling on the image of the kind human girl from the night before. She was on her bottom leaning back and shivering in fear at the blond human boy looming over her. A crowd of other humans and their beasts formed around them and tension filled the air.

He looked over to where his friend was, only to find she had stood up and already begun to walk to the commotion with the ever present light limp in her step. Blinking a few times in confusion, he too stood and followed her.

Was she interested it whatever was happening? She must have been, since while she could see a bit better now she most certainly couldn't tell what was happening at such a distance. He had to admit, he was curious himself. The girl from before was so nice to them, so why would someone act so mean to her and cause her such distress that she was shivering on the ground.

As they approached closer, he could see between the legs of the gathering humans. The girl's face seemed to have an angry red welt on her cheek and tears forming in her eyes. The boy seemed to be berating her over something. His friend seemed to have noticed this as well, obviously not happy at the events unfolding before them. But was it really their business in the first place?

The boy had raised his hand in the air, perhaps in preparation to strike at the girl, but as it barely began it's descent it was grabbed...by a large, bandaged hand.

Flame quickly looked to his side where his friend had stood, only to find her gone, and then back at the boy and girl, finding that his friend had toppled over several other young humans and had a firm grip on the boy's hand. Now the boy was scowling angrily at her! Now the uncomfortable tingle of panic washed over him.

"Unhand me you uncouth peasant woman!" The boy all but yelled at his friend.

"No...," she responded with a coldness he hadn't before felt from the beast of fire and ash, and it scared him to no end.

* * *

In the Alviss Hall, Kirche stood up sharply as color drained from her face, nearly toppling the bench she shared with Tabitha, almost sending the silent girl flailing onto her back.

"Kirche! What's got into you," Louise yelped in surprise.

Kirche jerked her head to look at Louise's face, one eye clearly reptilian and a look of panic and fear marred her face.

"Kirche!?"

Without so much as a word, Kirche grabbed Louise's hand and begun to drag her with all haste out of the dining area, with Tabitha not far behind.

* * *

"I said, UNHAND ME!" The human others called Guiche once more yelled with more force.

"And I said, no, at least until someone explains to me what this is about," the Witch felt her mouth twist momentarily into a snarl at his tone.

Guiche struggled to pull his hand free to no avail.

"That would be none of your business!

"I will be the judge of that...boy," she felt malice seep into her voice.

The boy, Guiche, had struck the kindly maid Siesta. The Witch could scarcely see a good reason for such a thing. The girl was kind, sincere, and at least a bit passionate about her work, for what reason would anyone have to enact any sort of violence against her that wasn't born of ill intent or malice. Perhaps it would be presumptuous and early to make such a claim, but she may very consider her a friend of sorts already. The similarities to one of her daughters certainly helped form the wire thin 'bond'. Yes, the black haired girl reminded her of one of her middle children, the bleeding heart daughter that had been called on many occasions, the Fair Lady. Then again, a creeping sensation warned the Witch that she'd be projecting onto the girl.

Just then, a blonde girl appeared beside the Witch with a shorter brown haired girl that seemed on the verge of tears.

"Hmph! The maid only revealed to all what cheating scum he is, even if she did so inadvertently," the blonde girl turned her nose up at the boy.

At that the Witch let go of her grasp on Guiche's hand, letting him unceremoniously fall onto his rear.

"Oh, but dear Montmorency! This is all a big misunderstanding, the maid..."

The girl, Montmorency had none of it, and stomped her foot down as she crossed her arms.

"No, I'm done with you, Guiche! And to think you'd stoop so low as to blame a commoner on your faults! You sicken me! At least man up to it!"

Guiche was about to make attempt a counter-argument, but an oppressive heat surprised him.

"That..I...really now? Such a reason?" The Witch faced the boy again.

She closed her eyes to calm herself.

"So, a craven and a con then, beneath my attention really," she willed the heat inside her to subside.

Ignoring the sputtering boy, she limped to the still prone Siesta, pulling her off the ground.

"Come, child, you're safe with me, let us depart this place."

Pulling a still shivering Siesta along by the hand, she was stopped when the earth shook slightly beneath her.

"Get back here! You dare insult a noble!? I demand satisfaction!" Guiche struck a pose at his exclamation, causing Montmorency to palm her face in exasperation and the other humans to murmur among themselves.

 _'That sounds like...'_

"A duel?" The Witch questioned in disbelief.

 _'To think he really had the gall!'_

"Yes, here and now!" Guiche grinned maliciously, expecting what seemed to be a cripple to crumple before him asking for forgiveness at the slight to his honor.

The Witch stared blankly a moment before chuckling.

"I think not, what would my daughters and son think if I took part is a battle of honor with one that obviously has none?" She responded with amusement.

Guiche gaped at the statement, the crippled woman dared insult him further! Forcing himself to regain his composure, he snarled at the Witch.

"Oh? Then I pity your children then, having a coward leper for a mother. Then again they must be no different! Cowards, hideous, and pathetic! Know your place, peasant!" He let his anger fuel his insults.

An eerie silence fell over the crowd as the Witch let go of Siesta's hand and slowly turned back to face Guiche. The reason for the silence was revealed to the boy. The Witch's face was stoic, and a cold steel grey eye peaked from behind the gauze blindfold that seemed to have come loose and sag over the woman's nose. Her jaw clenched tightly in fury.

"I will give you one chance...pygmy...one chance to take back that petty and pathetic slight on my dear children," her words were in contrast to her harsh features, gentle, save for the odd word that seemed to drip venom.

 _'What the hell is a pygmy?'_ Was a collective thought shared among the crowd.

Guiche grinned again, though sweat formed on his brow.

"No," arrogance clung to the single word.

"Then I will have to show you YOUR place, pygmy," an evil grin spread across her face, splitting her pale powder blue lips to reveal a slightly fanged pearly set of teeth.

The collective gut of the entire crowd felt heavy as they backed away.

"A duel it is! Malicorn!" Guiche pointed his rose shaped wand at the rotund student, "on your count!"

"Er...ok...on my count of three...one...," the round boy wiped the sweat off his brow.

* * *

Siesta was beside herself in fear and worry. At first she had thought she'd have to suffer the 'punishment' of a noble's wrath, but now she couldn't help but fear for the safety of her former tormentor. The Witch, as she knew her, had at least for a moment shown such an intense murderous intent before it was dissipated. She was unsure what the injured woman could do to a noble that wielded Brimir's blessing, but she feared all the same. Obviously the woman had such a deep love for her family, such a thing she could empathize with, and felt rather honored and flattered that the large woman had compared her to one of her daughters from her story.

As Malicorn finished his count, neither Guiche nor the Witch moved. The blonde boy huffed in disappointment at the Witch's inaction. He then quietly chanted a short spell and let a petal from his rose wand fall on the ground, and from the petal a bronze golem formed from the earth, unarmed but still intimidating to the maid.

When the golem darted forward to land a punch to the Witch's stomach, something happened that cause everyone around her, including herself, to gasp in astonishment.

She simply batted the golem away with a backhanded slap, causing it to tumble to the earth and scatter into piece.

"Do you really intend to make light of me?" The Witch bit out in condescension.

Guiche, angered by the response and confused by the 'crippled' woman's perceived strength, had form two more golems, this time armed with heavy bronze clubs. They too darted forward as the Witch took her first step forward. They too were shattered with the backs of her hands.

This time, the Witch made no comment as she continued to slowly step towards Guiche. The latter once again cast his spells to create more golems as his frustration at being humiliated by this woman grew. Now they were armed with small blades and made to stab at the Witch. One was swept away in a similar fashion as before, but having decided to teach the Witch a lesson on nobility the second golem was under more direct control. Having sidestepped the Witches backhand, it had ducked under her right arm and stabbed at her abdomen.

With speed that betrayed her condition, she had caught the hand that held the small blade which was little more than a knife.

Siesta had to stifle a scream as she noticed how the Witch had caught the golem's hand. By taking the blade straight through her left hand and palming both hilt and hand of the golem with her own. Blood began to trail down the arm of the golem with the Witch showing not so much as a flinch as if she felt no pain. The Witch lifted the golem by the arm off the ground, before she let loose a low growl and a high pitched sizzling sound could be heard.

"You are a fool to toy with me pygmy! Show some backbone!" She yelled in a hoarse cracking voice as she flailed the golem in the air before slamming it into the earth with a resounding crunch.

Guiche was startled and worried at the woman's actions. She took a blade impaled through her hand as though it were nothing, batted masses of bronze like they were flies, and now as he looked as the crumpled pile of bronze he noticed the hand she had caught had begun to warp as if under the stress of intense heat.

It had all begun as simply a way to vent his frustration, he hadn't been able to punish the maid and the young women he had courted had begun to look at him with disgust. His frustration and anger peaked as he formed five more golems, this time armed to the teeth with long blades, shields, and polearms. This woman was no noble, certainly she wouldn't be missed if she ended up horribly injured.

 _'Come to think of it, why is she here? Who is she?'_ Guiche raise an eyebrow at the thought.

As Guiche's golems charged forward in formation, the Witch too charged to meet them, any limp or injury seemingly forgotten in her own anger. The first to meet the Witch, a golem with sword and shield, was met with a vicious kick to the shield with enough force to cause it to twist in place. The Witch grasped at the sword and forced it while still in it's hand into the golem's torso at such and angle and force that it impaled he all the way through the back of it's neck. A second golem, having leaped from behind the first, bore down a halberd in an overhand arc towards the Witch.

She had caught the shaft of the halberd with both hands, twisting it free as she flung the golem the side, embedding said golem into the ground with the force of the throw. Using the momentum from wrenching the halberd free, she twirled her body around with the halberd wielded in in her left hand. Her left hand glimmered brightly as deep purple flames tinged with black flared briefly from it and engulfed the halberd before puffing out of existence, leaving the bronze weapon glowing a bright red from the heat.

Continuing through with the swing, she had cleanly sliced through the third golem, cut through the second messily as it fell apart in a half melted mangled mess, then the final golem had taken the now cooled and blunt weapon to the shoulder causing it to crumple by the sheer force alone with the lump that was the blade embedded deeply into it's chest.

Guiche shook in fearful astonishment as the beast of a woman roughly pulled the former halberd, now bludgeon, from the wreck of a golem. Her hand no longer bled, but was black and gnarled while still firmly gripping the shaft of the weapon, her left forearm fared no better. The white robe's sleeve was burned away to reveal that it too was a deep black. It could smell the scent of cooked flesh, no doubt coming from the woman.

She stepped over the bodies of the golems towards Guiche. As she neared him he could see the splotches of red that formed through her once pristine white robes, yet she took no notice, or at least paid no mind to them or her obviously cooked hand. Unconsciously he took a step back, tripping on an errant stone and falling to his back. The Witch stood above him, kneeling and leaning forward so that her face was not far from his.

In a cool and even tone she spoke.

"Do you know now your place, pygmy? I am Izalith, even as a shadow of my former glory you are far beneath me. So too are you to my family, and in fact anyone I deem worthy of my kindness. You, are not worthy of such, petty fool."

The intense glare leveled directly into his eyes were too much for him, and he fainted on the cold earth, his last sight being a creature that if he angered again...would end him.

* * *

Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha had only arrived at the scene in the midst of the fight, if it could be called that. The large woman had effectively trounced the blonde fop so hard that it wasn't even funny. Neither could imagine what had caused such brutality from the woman, who while abrasive, didn't seem quick to actual anger. Nor did they imagine she'd command such power, especially in the state she was in.

Murmurs around them were that of the possibility of her being a fallen noble, a demon, and a few even speculated she may be some sort of elf to cast magic without a catalyst.

Three young women and one familiar that stood in front of them didn't participate in the newly forming rumor mill. Each stunned into silence at what they witnessed, for varying reasons. One looked on in odd admiration at how the woman ignored her own honor but instead defended that of a commoner and showed such devotion to her family. Another marveled at the tenacity, how she fought even as she was afflicted by injury both old and new. The familiar looked on, almost as if it were wistful and trying to grasp at a memory it wasn't sure it truly had. Finally the maid had been gnawing at one of her thumbs, the look in her teary eyes shimmered seemed as though she looked upon a savior that she'd gladly serve.

From the mouths of the six young women and the mind of a salamander, only one thing was muttered and thought.

 **Izalith...**


End file.
